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Sunny weather, wage growth and a strong exports market helped buoy the economy over the summer, in a sign that momentum is returning after a sluggish start to the year.

Economic growth in the three months to July defied expectations after rising 0.6pc, marking the strongest expansion in a year. In the entire month of July, GDP was up by 0.3pc, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

“These are great figures and suggest there is still life in the UK economy despite all the negative political headlines and the pressures faced by the household sector,” said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING, a bank and financial services company.